Some 21 Knicks fans were arrested, and several police officers were injured in Midtown late Monday night as the Bryant Park basketball watch party turned into a riot.
Mayhem unfolded outside the park festivities on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, just after the game resumed from halftime. Thousands had gathered in and around the park when the alcohol-fueled revelers began celebrating what, at the time, was a lead. The Knicks would go on to lose Game 3 thanks to a surge from the San Antonio Spurs and questionable officiating.
The watch party at Bryant Park had been scheduled on Monday morning after President Trump’s visit to Game 3 led the NYPD and Madison Square Garden to cancel the scheduled watch party outside “The World’s Most Famous Arena” due to security concerns.
At the start of Game 3, the Bryant Park watch party had a festive atmosphere, with fans dancing alongside Hare Krishnas playing drums, who were themselves decked out in Knicks merch. Feet away, a group balanced a laptop on a fire hydrant fixture and watched the final unfold.
Meanwhile, the excitement got the better of some fans, who went on a rampage, ripping branches from trees and overturning massive pots.
The horde then climbed a passing police truck used to distribute barricades, with those aboard literally having to push them off from scaling the sides before speeding away.
The chaos did not end there. Basketball fanatics surrounded a bus stop sign and attempted to rip it out of the concrete ground by twisting it and shaking it rapidly.
However, one fan looked to intercede, pulling a man from atop a tree pot. This resulted in an all-out brawl, with haymakers thrown and the good Samaritan placed in a headlock.
The fight spilled into the roadway near a group of police officers, who quickly became surrounded. One cop became enraged with members of the media, pushing an amNewYork photographer and screaming, “Get that flash out of my face.”
There was a tense standoff between police and fans, with several skirmishes erupting. The panicked officers attempted to push the revelers back before several of them brandished pepper-spray and doused the crowd and members of the media documenting the incident.
This only seemed to infuriate fans, who threw bottles of alcohol, tree branches, and other objects at the officers.
Sources at the scene say it was a similar situation outside Madison Square Garden, where, despite an enhanced security presence due to the president’s attendance, multiple brawls broke out, with Knicks fans attempting to rip Spurs jerseys from the backs of Spurs supporters. All in all, sources say at least four police officers suffered minor injuries, enraging their union.
Police union advocates were incensed by the mayhem.
“Last night was another shameful display from individuals who are more interested in brawling with each other, ripping up street signs, and hurling objects at cops than supporting their team. We know New Yorkers are passionate about these NBA Finals, but police officers shouldn’t have to endure a barrage of mayhem after every single game. Our elected leaders need to send a stronger message and make it crystal clear that this behavior won’t be tolerated,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said.
Members of the NYPD Strategic Response Group, the controversial unit Mayor Zohran Mamdani has floated disbanding, arrived on the scene with batons and riot helmets.
Yelling “Move back” and waving their weapons, they pushed the large group back to 5th Avenue as the crowd climbed trucks and scaffolding.
Police sources say a total of 21 were taken into custody during the clashes, eight of whom were charged with the likes of assault on a police officer, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration. Thirteen people were issued summons.
